FW: [WTNN] World Tibet Network News -- March 8, 2011
Alex Bunjes
WTN Editors wishes all the readers a very Happy and Prosperous Tibetan
New Year 2138 Iron-Hare year.
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Issue ID: 2011/03/08Compiled by Nima Dorjee
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Contents
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1. Tibet closed to foreign tourists in March
2. China says Dalai Lama has to reincarnate
3. To overlook reality would be stupid
4. Resurgence of Tibetan New Year celebrations despite March 10 security
build-up
5. Delhi changes Karmapa tune
6. China's Panchen Lama says Tibetans are 'free'
7. U.S. Ambassador Roemer inaugurates Tibetan Refugee Center in Dharamsala
8. Struggle for a Free Tibet- Independence or Autonomy?
9. US pressures Nepal on Tibetan exiles
10. China at War with Biggest Enemy, the Free Press
11. Flaming Lips, Michael Stipe, The Roots and Patti Smith Rock for Tibet
12. CORRECTION: Media Release from the Office of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama
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1. Tibet closed to foreign tourists in March
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(AFP) – March 8, 2011
BEIJING — Chinese authorities have closed the troubled Tibetan region to
foreign tourists, travel agents said Monday, ahead of the third
anniversary of violent anti-government riots there.
"The tourism bureau will not give permission to foreigners to come to
Tibet in March," an employee at the Xizang Tourist General Company in
the region's capital Lhasa told AFP by phone.
"They can't come to Tibet in March and as far as April is concerned we
are still awaiting notification (of any rule changes)."
Other agencies also told AFP that travellers from overseas would not be
allowed into Tibet in March, while one firm said that permission for
foreign tourists to come to the region would take at least 10 days to be
approved.
China routinely limits foreign travel to Tibet, requiring overseas
tourists to obtain special permits -- in addition to Chinese visas --
and also travel in tour groups.
In the wake of anti-government riots in Lhasa in March 2008, which left
parts of the city burned and looted, foreign tourists were banned from
travelling to the Himalayan region for more than a year.
China has increased security in Tibet since the 2008 demonstrations
descended into violence and spread to neighbouring areas with
significant Tibetan populations.
A report released by Human Rights Watch last year said Chinese security
forces brutally beat and even shot dead some protesters during the
unrest, and tortured many in the subsequent crackdown.
The New York-based organisation said it had based its findings on
interviews with more than 200 Tibetan refugees and other witnesses
between March 2008 and April 2010, as well as official information.
Chinese authorities deny that such violence has been used on the
region's population.
China has ruled Tibet since 1951, a year after sending in troops to
"liberate" the region.
Tibet's Communist Party chief Zhang Qingli said Sunday the region was
still facing "very grave challenges" in the fight against separatism,
the official Xinhua news agency said.
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2. China says Dalai Lama has to reincarnate
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Reuters [Tuesday, March 08, 2011 22:59]
By Sui-Lee Wee and Ben Blanchard
Beijing: Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, does not have a
right to choose his successor any way he wants and must follow the
historical
and religious tradition of reincarnation, a Chinese official said
Monday.It is
unclear how the 76-year-old Dalai Lama, who lives in India and is
revered by
many Tibetans, plans to pick his successor. He has said that the succession
process could break with tradition -- either by being hand-picked by him or
through democratic elections.
But Padma Choling, the Chinese-appointed governor of Tibet, said that
the Dalai
Lama had no right to abolish the institution of reincarnation, underscoring
China's hardline stance on one of the most sensitive issues for the
restless and
remote region.
"I don't think this is appropriate. It's impossible, that's what I
think," he
said on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China's parliament, when
asked
about the Dalai Lama's suggestion that his successor may not be his
reincarnation.
"We must respect the historical institutions and religious rituals of
Tibetan
Buddhism," said Padma Choling, a Tibetan and a former soldier in the
People's
Liberation Army. "I am afraid it is not up to anyone whether to abolish the
reincarnation institution or not."
The Chinese government says it has to approve all reincarnations of living
Buddhas, or senior religious figures in Tibetan Buddhism. It also says
China has
to sign off on the choosing of the next Dalai Lama.
"Tibetan Buddhism has a history of more than 1,000 years, and the
reincarnation
institutions of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama have been carried on for
several
hundred years," Padma Choling said.
Some worry that once the Dalai Lama dies, China will simply appoint its own
successor, raising the possibility of there being two Dalai Lamas -- one
recognized by China and the other chosen by exiles or with the blessing
of the
current Dalai Lama.
In 1995, after the Dalai Lama named a boy in Tibet as the reincarnation
of the
previous Panchen Lama, the second highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, the
Chinese government put that boy under house arrest and installed another
in his
place.
Many Tibetans spurn the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama as a fake.
The Chinese government accuses the Dalai Lama of fomenting violence to seek
Tibet's independence. He rejects the claim, saying he is just pushing for
greater autonomy.
Tibetan protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in March
2008 gave
way to torrid violence, with rioters torching shops and turning on
residents,
especially Han Chinese, who many Tibetans see as intruders threatening
their
culture.
At least 19 people died in the unrest, which sparked waves of protests
across
Tibetan areas. Pro-Tibet groups overseas say more than 200 people were
killed in
a subsequent crackdown.
With the third anniversary of that unrest approaching, Tibet has taken
measures
to restrict visitors.
Zhang Qingli, Tibet's hardline Communist Party chief, told reporters the
restrictions were due to the "cold winter," a slew of religious
activities and
limited number of hotels.
"This is in accordance with national laws," he said.
China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since Communist troops marched
in 1950. It says its rule has bought much needed development to a poor
and backward region.
Exiles and rights groups accuse China of failing to respect Tibet's
unique religion and culture and of suppressing its people.
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3. To overlook reality would be stupid
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The Pioneer[Wednesday, March 02, 2011 14:58]
Claude Arpi
While China is free to believe that it has done nothing to raise hackles
around the world, more so in its neighbourhood, that is far from the
truth. It makes little sense for Beijing to feign surprise that other
nations are preparing to meet the Chinese challenge which is not
necessarily limited to economic issues. Strangely, while others are
mindful of the challenge posed by rising China, India remains trapped in
the past
Recently a conference on the Relevance of Tibet in the Emerging Regional
Situation was held in Delhi. One of the participants, a professor from
Jawaharlal Nehru University, gave the audience a grand lecture on the
cultural and civilisational closeness of India and China; other analysts
and experts were missing the point, the professor said, because they
continue to focus on the nitty-gritty of China-India relations (the
border issue, Chinese incursions, stapled visas, the ever-growing
infrastructure in southern Tibet, etc); the ‘real’ solution however was
‘civilisational’. The ‘eminent scholar’ kept repeating this strange word.
Other participants seemed unable to grasp the subtlety of the concept,
while yet others, more down-to-earth lamented: “We can’t understand the
Chinese, we are trying to be nice with them and they are not nice with us”.
After reading a recent article published in Qiushi Journal, the official
publication of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, I
could better grasp this ‘civilisational’ business. The argument
developed in the article is: “When faced with an aggressive US, how
should China respond?” “How China Deals with the US Strategy to Contain
China” quotes from a 1949 slogan of Mao Tse-tung: “Cast Away Illusions;
Prepare for Struggle” and reaffirms that “it is still applicable to
today’s situation”.
The author goes into recent China-US relations: “Our wishes to persuade
the imperialists and those who are against China to be kind-hearted and
repent are fruitless. The only way is to organise forces to fight
against them”. The author believes that the fundamental principle to be
followed is, “If friends come, treat them with wine; if jackals come, we
have shotguns for them.”
Are these comments not reflective of a certain ‘civilisational attitude’?
The Qiushi Journal article mentions six strategies believed to have been
selected by the US to ‘contain’ China: The trade war, the exchange rate
war, the public opinion war, the anti-China campaign, the military
exercises and simulated warfare; and, the setting up of an anti-China
alliance. The author suggests seven counter-strategies.
Regarding the ‘trade war’, the Chinese publication complains: “Since
September, the US has launched seven ‘Section-337’ investigations and
one ‘Section-301’ investigation, involving products such as solar
lights, LCD monitors, and printer cartridges.”
The most astonishing trait of the Chinese civilisational character seems
to be that Beijing is unable to envisage that something could be wrong
in their own dumping exercises or more generally in their international
dealings. The same stance is taken by the author for the ‘exchange rate
war’ and the other issues raised by him.
As for the “military exercises and simulated warfare”, the Qiushi
Journal asserts that the US frequently prevails upon South Korea, Japan,
Vietnam, and other countries to join military exercises: “(The US)
purpose is very clear: To encircle China militarily.”
Instead of speaking of the US creating an anti-China alliance, Beijing
should perhaps analyse its own actions during 2010 and see why the
so-called anti-China alliance was forced to act the way it did. Take the
case of India, which has always been over-sympathetic to China. What
does India get in return? Only the blocking of the Indian seat in the UN
Security Council, the raising of a ‘dispute’ over Jammu & Kashmir and so
on.
The article goes into great detail about what China should do to
“contain the US” on each of the subjects. India is not mentioned: It is
probably not considered worth ‘containing’, China being aware that India
has garnered decades of expertise for shooting itself in the foot (look
at Kashmiri leaders ‘offering’ Aksai Chin to China, or the Foreign
Minister reading another Ambassador’s speech in the Security Council).
About the “military exercises and simulated warfare”, the Communist
Party publication is explicit: “No doubt the US military exercises
challenge China’s strategic bottom line. China should certainly actively
respond, but the issue is how to respond skilfully. Wherever the US
chooses to conduct its military exercises, let’s pick another location
for our military exercise”. The strategy should be ‘Besieging Wei to
rescue Zhao’.
This is one of the famous Thirty-Six Strategies from ancient China. It
refers to an incident that occurred in 354 BC and involved Sun Bin (a
descendent of Sun Zi, the author of the Art of War). One day in the
court of the Wei State, a Minister jealous of Sun Bin denounced him as a
spy; Sun fled to the State of Qi. Several years later, the king of the
State of Wei attacked the capital of the State of Zhao whose king
immediately appealed to the State of Qi for help.
Sun Bin recommended: “To intervene now between two warring armies is
like trying to divert a tidal way by standing in its path. It would be
better to wait until both armies wear themselves out.” The king followed
his advice and waited. A year later Sun Bin decided the time was ripe to
help Zhao: “Since most of Wei’s troops are out of the country engaged in
the siege, their defences must be weak. By attacking the capital of Wei,
we will force the Wei Army to return to defend its own capital, thereby
lifting the siege of Zhao while destroying the Wei forces in an ambush.”
The plan worked perfectly.
The article suggested that China should follow this strategy: “There is
no need for China to fear the US aircraft carrier. During the Korean
War, when the contrast in military strength was much greater than it is
now, we were not afraid; why should we be now? Facts prove that America
is a paper tiger that cannot even handle Iraq or Afghanistan, not to
mention China”.
On February 8, 2011, the US Department of Defence published the National
Military Strategy of United States of America 2011. Inter alia, it
asserted: “We remain concerned about the extent and strategic intent of
China’s military modernisation, and its assertiveness in space,
cyberspace, in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea”.
Washington added that the US “will be prepared to demonstrate the will
and commit the resources needed to oppose any nation’s actions that
jeopardise access to and use of the global commons and cyberspace”.
The Chinese news agency Xinhua immediately answered through a series of
articles analysing the US document. It noted that for the first time a
US report lists “coping with the threat of an Internet war” as a
separate military strategy. The US strategy is meant to target China,
Xinhua affirmed: “The report didn’t overtly mention China, but China’s
influence is obvious in the text… Even when it’s not talking about Asia,
the main focus is not too far away from China’s military expansion.”
Once again, the Chinese leadership forgets that it started the cyber
war. In 2008, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission
reported: “US computer security authorities detected a series of cyber
intrusions in 2002 into unclassified US military, Government, and
Government contractor Websites and computer systems. This large-scale
operation, code named Titan Rain by the US Government, was attributed to
China. Targeted locations included the US Army Information Systems
Engineering Command, the Naval Ocean Systems Center, the Missile Defence
Agency, and Sandia National Laboratories.”
Obviously, the US and other nations have to defend themselves. It is
their civilisational right. One old friend used to tell me: “To be
loved, you have to be lovable”. Beijing should perhaps meditate on the
subject instead of promulgating new guidelines to select reincarnated
Lamas.
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4. Resurgence of Tibetan New Year celebrations despite March 10 security
build-up
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Many Tibetans in Tibet boldly marked Tibetan New Year (Losar) at the
March 5-6 weekend, in preference to Chinese New Year, despite official
restrictions and an entrenched security presence. There is evidence that
in some Tibetan areas Tibetans have begun to mark Losar again with more
vigor as an expression of their cultural identity, despite official
pressures otherwise.
The current political climate in Tibet is particularly tense in the
build-up to the March 10 anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising in
1959 - which is also the third anniversary of an unprecedented wave of
overwhelmingly peaceful protests that swept across the Tibetan plateau,
to be met by a brutal crackdown.
The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has been effectively closed to foreign
tourists for the month of March. Chinese travel agents say they have
been told not to receive foreign visitors around March 14, the third
anniversary of when four days of peaceful protesting in Lhasa turned
violent.
Celebrations in Amdo of Losar
In Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP) in Sichuan
province (in the eastern Tibetan area of Amdo) many Tibetans ignored
"official" celebrations of the New Year a month ago and set off
fireworks and made incense offerings on Saturday (March 5), the first
day of the Tibetan New Year. This was despite intense security in the
area, where at least 10 Tibetans were shot dead during a protest in
March, 2008, near the major monastery of Kirti.
Tibetans in Tibet celebrate New Year at different times, and in Amdo and
some parts of Eastern Tibet, New Year is celebrated at the time of
Chinese New Year. The authorities have sought to encourage this and to
discourage spontaneous gatherings of Tibetans to celebrate the Tibetan
New Year, Losar, particularly following the unrest from March, 2008.
Some Tibetans feel that this results in the downgrading of Losar's
significance in favor of celebrations of the Chinese New Year. In 2009,
some local authorities, including in Ngaba, sought to prevent any
unsanctioned celebrations of Losar by ordering that Tibetan New Year
celebrations should be brought forward by one month to coincide with
Chinese New Year.
But there is evidence that in some parts of the Tibetan area of Amdo,
Tibetans have begun to celebrate Losar again with more vigor, for
instance in Chentsa (Chinese: Jianzha) county, Mahlo TAP, Qinghai
province, an area where Tibetans have a strong sense of cultural
identity, and where Chinese New Year celebrations were not taken as
seriously as Losar this year.
A Tibetan source from Ngaba said this weekend: "Most regions of Amdo
have their New Year one month earlier and hold many related festivities
accordingly, but in Ngaba the annual incense offering was not made at
that time, and there were not many fireworks, so that festivities
appeared restrained. But on Saturday (the first day of Tibetan Losar
according to the Tibetan calendar), most of the Tibetans in Ngaba, monks
and villagers, performed the incense offering that traditionally marks
the first day of the year, and the ceremonial drawing of the first
water, and let off even more fireworks than for a normal new year's day.
There were fireworks on the hilltops and in the town streets, and
lamp-lit gatherings of people, as if to demonstrate that today is the
[real] Tibetan New Year, which seems to suggest that the earlier
celebration of the New Year a month before had not been voluntary."
Another Tibetan from Amdo who is in exile and in contact with Tibetans
in the area said: "This year people celebrated Losar in many parts of
Amdo, particularly monks in Rebkong (Chinese: Tongren, in Malho TAP,
Qinghai) and Labrang (Chinese: Xiahe, in Gannan TAP, Gansu). This is
because it represents a unique connection to unity between Tibetans in
different areas of Tibet. The celebrations are not always in traditional
style, but they are strongly Tibetan, for instance they are gathering
friends together, wearing their best clothes, visiting local monasteries
and burning incense."
The significance of Losar
Losar is a five-day festival marking the new year in the Tibetan
calendar during which Tibetan families come together to reflect and
celebrate the past year as well as look forward to the coming year.
Since 2008, Tibetans have chosen to express their feelings through the
way in which they commemorate Losar. In 2009, a movement within Tibet to
abstain from celebrating the new year as a gesture of mourning for those
who lost their lives became an unprecedented and highly significant
statement, akin to people in the United States deciding to forego
Thanksgiving, or to the people of China choosing not to mark the Spring
Festival.
This year, Tibetan bloggers have engaged in much discussion on the
regional variations when it comes to celebrating Losar, as well as the
conflict in celebrating Chinese New Year. In a blog written to mark
Losar and translated by High Peaks Pure Earth, the Tibetan writer Woeser
referred to the views of some young Tibetans "who believe that
incorporating some customs of Chinese New Year into Tibetan people's
lives is not at all inappropriate."
(http://www.highpeakspureearth.com/2011/03/three-provinces-of-snowland-losar
-tashi.html).
Tight security in build-up to March 10 with closure of Tibet, "Jasmine"
protests
In Lhasa, security was tight over the Tibetan New Year, with government
officials being told they were not allowed to go to monasteries at that
time, according to one source in contact with Tibetans in the city.
Both Tibetan New Year and the effective ban on tourists to the region
coincides with the heavy-handed response by the Chinese government to
the "Jasmine (molihua) Revolution" of spontaneous gatherings of people
in dozens of cities across China. Lhasa is on the list of 41 sites
detailed in blog, Facebook and Sina Weibo/Twitter feeds by organizers of
the peaceful movements for reform and free expresson in China, although
it is not known whether any such gatherings have taken place there due
to the tight security and choking off of communications.
The Jasmine Revolution gatherings, inspired by the uprisings and
sweeping change across the Middle East and North Africa, are the latest
push for democracy in a movement feared by authorities and have led to
an intensified security crackdown in China, and the blocking of
communications. Foreign journalists have been beaten up in Beijing,
where tension is particularly high because of the meetings of the
National Peoples Congress this week, which bring together the country's
most senior Party, state and regional leaders, including those from Tibet.
Bloggers in Tibet discuss Losar
In 2009, one year after the protests began on the March 10 anniversary,
Tibetans marked the beginning of the New Year by 'mourning' and in
somber reflection on the crackdown following the protests that swept
across Tibet in 2008. Tibetans began to post blogs and comments about
celebrations or commemoration of Tibetan New Year (Losar), and continue
to do so in the blogosphere today.
In a post translated by High Peaks Pure Earth, which monitors and
translates Tibetan blogposts, the Tibetan writer Woeser wrote from
Beijing about reasons for the variations in commemorating Chinese and
Tibetan New Year. She wrote:
"In the past few years, there has been a lively debate among Tibetans on
the internet about the displacement of New Year's celebrations. One of
the opinions is that 'the displacement of New Year's celebrations in
Amdo (Gansu, Qinghai) and Kham (Tibet) was caused by the historically,
geographically and climatically transformed environment, but that the
actual atmosphere of the celebrations has become more Tibetan.' I have
always believed that since we know that our New Year has been somewhat
displaced, we should try to gradually replace it; yet, after engaging in
profound discussions and thus gaining a more comprehensive
understanding, I now think that it is not really a question of
displacement and replacement, but whether the choices we make are
imposed or natural."
High Peaks Pure Earth also reported that this year many Tibetan bloggers
are calling for unity and solidarity among Tibetans as well as
expressing their sorrow at the impact of the crackdown. In one
translation published by High Peaks Pure Earth, a Tibetan who identifies
him or herself as "Dortse" writes the following poem:
"Losar, who inherits this sorrow?
Everyone says it is a joyful time.
But who has busted or emptied our home?
All those brothers and sisters who have passed away,
May their souls float on the top of the Potala this Losar?
When Losar comes, my heart is filled with sorrow."
Another blogger wrote: "If in all parts of Tibet only one Losar is
commonly celebrated, then it will help to have a common language and
unity among us! So many good things will come out of it. So let us
spread the benefits by celebrating a common Losar..."
(http://www.highpeakspureearth.com/2011/03/one-tibet-many-tibetan-new-years.
html).
In exile, the Dalai Lama has drawn attention to the courageous and
peaceful actions of Tibetans in Tibet since March, 2008. In
commemoration of the March 10 anniversary, Tibetans in exile gather
every year at the main temple in Dharamsala, India. In the last two
March 10 statements, the Dalai Lama has opened with a strong assertion
of the inspiration provided by the conviction of young Tibetans in Tibet
who have engaged in peaceful protest and expressions of their views. In
his statement last year, the Dalai Lama said that it was "inspiring"
that "a new generation of Tibetans continues to keep Tibet's just cause
alive." He said that: "They have been able to keep up their courage and
determination, preserve their compassionate culture and maintain their
unique identity... I salute the courage of those Tibetans still enduring
fear and oppression."
The Dalai Lama will deliver his March 10, 2011 statement on Thursday at
the Tsuglakhang Temple in Dharamsala, India, his home in exile.
March 10 anniversary details
The March 10 anniversary marks the day when tensions after the Chinese
invasion of Tibet finally erupted in Lhasa in 1959. Thousands of
Tibetans gathered outside the Dalai Lama's summer palace, the
Norbulingka, as rumors that the Chinese were planning to abduct him
spread throughout Lhasa, which was teeming with pilgrims following the
annual Great Prayer Festival (Monlam Chenmo). During the week that
followed, demonstrations in support of the Dalai Lama and against
Chinese rule escalated into a mass protest throughout the city. On March
17, 1959 the PLA started sporadic shelling of the city, and that evening
the Dalai Lama escaped and began his flight into exile. On March 20,
1959 the PLA was ordered to re-take the city. After two days of
fighting, the Chinese flag was hoisted above the Potala Palace. Both
sides renounced the 17-point agreement. By March 28, 1959, which since
2009 the Chinese authorities have celebrated as "Serf Emancipation Day,"
the Tibetan government was dissolved. Thousands of Tibetans had been
killed, and thousands more followed the Dalai Lama into exile.
(http://www.savetibet.org/documents/reports/great-mountain-burned-fire-china
%E2%80%99s-crackdown-tibet).
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5. Delhi changes Karmapa tune
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NISHIT DHOLABHAI, The Telegraph, Kolkata
New Delhi, March 4: India has indicated it recognises Ugyen Trinley
Dorje as the Karmapa, signalling an about-turn by the government whose
China policy has been marked by caution.
Home secretary G.K. Pillai today became the first central government
representative to refer to Dorje, 25, as the ╥Karmapa╙, and declared him
the second-highest Tibetan monk after the Dalai Lama.
Till now, Delhi would make no bones about its suspicion that Dorje was
an agent of China, which had crowned him the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa at
Tibet╒s Tsurphu monastery.
╥The Karmapa is a spiritual leader. He is second in ranking to the Dalai
Lama,╙ Pillai said. ╥Currently, the Karmapa is in prayer and by the end
of March he will write to the home ministry (about) how he will put his
house in order.╙
Last month, Himachal Pradesh chief secretary Rajwant Sandhu too had
referred to Dorje as the Karmapa.
Yet, just five weeks ago, a senior central government official had said
Dorje was ╥not a Karmapa╙ after Himachal police seized Rs 8.5 crore in
Indian and foreign currency from his residence and arrested some of his
aides. Security agencies accused Dorje of planning to build
╥Chinese-friendly Tibetan institutions╙ across the Indian Himalayas.
Sources said the Centre╒s correspondence always referred to Dorje as a
╥Lama╙ and as ╥one of the claimants to the Karmapa seat╙.
The policy shift comes after protests against the government action on
Dorje, who has followers worldwide. Sources said New Delhi got isolated
because the Dalai Lama himself recognises Dorje as the Karmapa and
recently gave him a clean chit.
The Karmapa╒s office is now being probed by the Enforcement Directorate
and the directorate of revenue intelligence. Pillai today said steps
needed to be taken so that a spiritual leader like Dorje did not get
into such embarrassing situations in the future.
A year after Dorje╒s January 2000 ╥escape╙ to India, the NDA
government╒s cabinet committee on security had decided ╥he is not in our
interest╙. The UPA ratified the decision in 2004, sources said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. China's Panchen Lama says Tibetans are 'free'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(AFP) – March 8, 2011
BEIJING — China's controversial choice as the Panchen Lama said Tuesday
that Tibetans had never been freer, just days ahead of the third
anniversary of anti-government riots in the Himalayan region.
The Panchen Lama -- the second highest Tibetan Buddhist leader -- was
chosen by China in a 1995 ceremony overseen by the Communist Party,
which had rejected a boy selected by the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled
spiritual leader.
"The Tibetan people now enjoy religious freedom and are much better
off," Gyaincain Norbu told the official Xinhua news agency, speaking of
the 60 years since China "liberated" the region in 1951.
"People can freely choose to start a business, study or become a
Buddhist monk. They are free to do whatever they aspire to, which was
impossible in old Tibet. The peaceful liberation of Tibet has made
people the real master of Tibet."
The Panchen Lama is a delegate to the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which in theory advises the main
rubber-stamp National People's Congress (NPC) that opened its annual
session on Saturday.
China says there has been marked improvement in Tibet since it started
ruling the region, including a doubling of life expectancy since the
1950s and billions of dollars in spending on infrastructure and
development projects.
But resentment against Chinese rule runs deep in the Himalayan region,
where many Tibetans are angry about the increasing domination of China's
majority Han population, and accuse the government of trying to dilute
their culture.
That resentment spilled over into violent demonstrations in March 2008
in Tibet's capital Lhasa, which then spread to neighbouring areas.
Authorities have increased security in the region since then.
The Dalai Lama's choice for Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, has
disappeared from public view and is believed to be under a form of house
arrest.
Chinese authorities closed the troubled Tibetan region to foreign
tourists, travel agents said Monday, ahead of the third anniversary of
the anti-government riots.
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7. U.S. Ambassador Roemer inaugurates Tibetan Refugee Center in Dharamsala
------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Campaign for Tibet
24 February, 2011
U.S. Ambassador to India, Timothy J. Roemer, today inaugurated a new
Tibetan Refugee Reception Center in Dharamsala, India, funded in part
through a Cooperative Agreement between the State Department and the
Tibet Fund, a U.S.-based non-government organization that works to
preserve the Tibetan identity in exile.
Ambassador Roemer, accompanied by Mrs. Roemer, was welcomed at the
center by more than 100 new refugees from Tibet and senior members of
the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), which also provides services
and financial support to the center and its temporary inhabitants. A
metal plaque on the new facility, which can accommodate 500 people,
unveiled during the ceremony, reads "Tibetan Reception Center Complex.
Funding provided by the United States Government. Inaugurated by
Honorable Timothy J. Roemer, U.S. Ambassador to India, 23rd February 2011."
The refugee center in Dharamsala is the final point in what can be a
long and dangerous journey from Tibet via Nepal to India. Typically,
after many weeks traveling in Tibet and a dangerous crossing through the
mountain passes of the Himalayas, Tibetan refugees are provided urgent
assistance at the Tibetan Refugee Transit Center in Kathmandu, operated
under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
After transit through Nepal, Tibetans travel onward to Dharamsala where
all new refugees are given an audience with the Dalai Lama, and the CTA
begins its efforts to provide for their resettlement in schools,
monasteries and cultural institutions in Tibetan communities in India.
The CTA has launched a Settlement Revitalization Plan, which will
receive some financial support from the U.S. Government, to accommodate
the stresses of 50 years of refugee in-migration from Tibet to India and
Nepal.
On February 24, Ambassador Roemer is scheduled to meet with His Holiness
the Dalai Lama at his Dharamsala residence. The two have previously met
in New Delhi.
Ambassador Roemer will then tour the Tibetan Children's Village (TCV) in
Dharamsala. The precursor of the TCV was founded to provide for the
critical needs of Tibetan refugee children who had been separated from
their families or orphaned as a consequence of the arrival in India of
tens of thousands of refugees from Tibet following the Dalai Lama's
flight into exile in 1959. The TCV, founded in 1972, continues the
mission to ensure that all children under its care receive a sound
education and maintain a firm cultural identity.
Ambassador Roemer's visit to Dharamsala follows by days the visit to a
Tibetan settlement in South India by Under Secretary of State for
Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria Otero, who serves concurrently as
the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. Under Secretary Otero
went on to Kathmandu, Nepal, where she visited the Tibetan Refugee
Transit Center and discussed Tibetan issues with various agencies and
officials, including the Nepal government. (See ICT reports, 'U.S. Tibet
Coordinator visits Tibetan settlement in south India [1],' and
'High-level U.S. visit shows commitment to Tibetan refugee issues in
Nepal [2].')
"Taken together, the visits of Ambassador Roemer and Under Secretary
Otero underscore the U.S. commitment to the Tibetan people, and the
abiding care and generosity of the American people." said Todd Stein,
ICT Director of Government Relations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Struggle for a Free Tibet- Independence or Autonomy?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, 25 February 2011 10:23 Tsoltim N Shakabpa,
The Tibet Post International
Indiana, US: - The death of Tibet freedom fighter Jigme Norbu once more
raises the question "Independence or Autonomy?" Jigme Norbu aspired and
fought for independence, as did his honorable father, Taktser Rinpoche,
the older brother of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
The issue of Tibet's future appears to be a topic the world would rather
not deal with. But like the San Andreas Fault, it is a phenomenon that
exists and no ostrich formula can avoid the worldwide impact its
eruption will produce. Prior to 1950, Tibet was a free and independent
nation. In October 1950, Chinese troops under Communist rule marched
through the unprotected borders of Tibet and forced the Tibetans to sign
the so-called 17-Point Agreement, subjugating Tibet into an autonomous
region of the People's Republic of China. This "treaty" promised
self-rule, freedom of religion and protection of Tibetan traditions and
culture, while China would remain guardian of Tibet's defense and
foreign affairs. By 1956, the Chinese had violated every promise they
made in that agreement; in 1959, the Tibetans revolted. This revolt was
followed by the flight of the Dalai Lama and 80,000 Tibetans from their
homeland to India and elsewhere.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama struggled for more than 25 years to regain
Tibet's independence through nonviolent means. Then in 1988, believing
that the political leadership in China was in a state of flux and
worried that his country and his people would eventually become extinct,
His Holinesss the Dalai Lama proposed a "Middle Path" to reach a
solution with the Chinese. This proposal essentially involved
acquiescence to Chinese rule, while preserving Tibetan lives and
identity. Although many Tibetans urged His Holiness to withdraw from
this approach, His Holiness continues to believe his formula will
eventually save his people.
Tibetans believe His Holiness the Dalai Lama to be the reincarnation of
Chenrezig--the Lord of Love and Compassion. Every Tibetan, no matter
what his background, believes in His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his
teachings. But while there is no wavering of faith in the Dalai Lama,
there are differing views on what to do for the future.
Many Chinese and Western observers mistake this difference in view to
mean that Tibetans no longer support the Dalai Lama. But faith in His
Holiness the Dalai Lama means belief in his spiritual teachings, not
necessarily in his political analyses or his political leanings.
The divergent views among the first family in Tibetan society should not
be mistaken or maliciously misconstrued as disunity within the family.
Rather, the family's courage in openly differing on political issues
should uphold the strength of the Tibetan democratic spirit and the
fearless willingness of the first family to set an example to all people
constrained by religious or political dogmas.
The views of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's brother, who is also a
recognized, high-ranking incarnate teacher, differ from his brother's.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama wishes to nonviolently preserve the basic
human rights and identity of his people, though reluctantly under
Chinese rule, because he feels independence may be too long in coming
and that the Chinese may wipe out the Tibetan race before then. His
elder brother, the late Taktser Rinpoche, wished to nonviolently regain
Tibet's independence along with all the basic rights of the Tibetan
people. He felt that this is the only way Tibetan life and liberty can
truly be saved and preserved.
While in both instances, there is not only compassion but virtue, the
tricky question is: Would Tibetans be selling themselves forever to the
Chinese or would they be fighting a losing battle? Who is right? No
Tibetan should feel he is sacrificing his religious belief and faith in
His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he chooses the "path of independence."
That choice is a democratic choice and a constitutional right, which the
Dalai Lama himself so wisely promulgated in the new Tibetan
constitution. Neither should any Tibetan speak ill of His Holiness the
Dalai Lama's "independent-minded" brethren, as that critic himself would
be breaking a cardinal rule of nationalism and patriotism. China was
never invited to come and rule Tibet. Tibet was made a part of China but
China, as in the case of Hong Kong, promised a different system of rule.
Slowly but surely, the Chinese reneged on the agreement. The freedoms
promised were unashamedly withdrawn and the noose around the neck
tightened with each move made by the Tibetans in protest.
The stories that have since trickled through the closed borders of Tibet
have been sad and gruesome: 1.2 million Tibetans killed and thousands
brutally tortured and imprisoned; nuclear waste dumped into sacred
rivers and lakes. Also, the Chinese government kidnapped a 6-year-old
boy regarded by the Tibetans as their highest-ranking reincarnate lama,
second only to the Dalai Lama.
Tibetans are a peaceful, patient and religious people, carefree in
appearance but determined in spirit. Therein lies their strength. My
late beloved father, Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa, the historian,
author and former Finance Minister of Tibet, chose the "path of
independence" because he firmly believed in the principles and values
upon which his nation was built and because he did not want his people
or his children to suffer in Chinese hands. I, too, have chosen the
"path of independence" because I believe in the sanctity of freedom. My
father lived and died for an independent Tibet, as did Jigme Norbu, his
father, the eminent Taktser Rinpoche, and thousands of other Tibetans.
Author of this article, Tsoltim N. Shakabpa is executive director of the
Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa Memorial Foundation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. US pressures Nepal on Tibetan exiles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Saransh Sehgal
Asia Times Online
February, 25, 2011
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/MB25Ad01.html
DHARAMSALA, India - A trip to Tibetan refugee centers in Nepal by a
high-profile United States diplomat could be seen as part of the United
States' "soft spot" for Tibet, or it could be seen as Washington defying
China over human rights.
Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Mario Otero,
who also serves as the White House's special coordinator for Tibetan
issues, visited Tibetan refugee centers in Nepal and southern India last
week during a week-long trip to South Asia. During her visit, Otero
showed the US's solidarity to Tibetan exiles, even pressing Nepalese
authorities to soften their stance on refugees. She also held bilateral
meetings with senior government officials in New Delhi, Nepal and Bhutan.
Otero was accompanied with Scott H DeLisi, the US ambassador
to Nepal, and other US diplomats. They met with Nepalese Prime Minister
Jhala Nath Khanal and raised issues relating to challenges faced by
Tibetan refugees. "We made it clear that this is an important issue for
us," Otero told Nepalese media.
The envoy called on the Nepalese government to honor the United
Nations-brokered "gentlemen's agreement" between Nepal and the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees to provide safe transit to Tibetan refugees
who wish to travel through Nepal to Dharamsala, India, the capital of
exiled Tibetans. She also raised the issue of free passage for refugees
from Tibet who face problems in Nepal due to their lack of identity
cards. "There is a stable practice while dealing with Tibetan issues
which ensures providing them free passage to India," the US envoy was
quoted by Kantipur online.
Otero urged the Nepalese government to allow Tibetan refugees free
passage to India without restrictions. She also pledged the continued
support of the US government for the safety and welfare of Tibetan
refugees in Nepal.
She highlighted the problems faced by Tibetans in the Himalayan region,
according to Milan Thuladhar, the foreign relations adviser to the
Nepalese prime minister. He said Khanal told the US guest that his
government was dealing with the issue in accordance with its
international human-rights obligations.
The US undersecretary also visited a Tibetan reception center in
Kathmandu to meet and talk with newly-arrived refugees. Earlier in her
trip in India she visited Bylakuppe, the Tibetan settlement in southern
India, where she held an interactive session with students, monks and
nuns. She was hosted by the Dalai Lama's special envoy, Lodi Gyari, and
officials from the government-in-exile.
Visits by US officials have always been regarded as of much value among
Tibetan exiles. "Undersecretary Maria Otero expressed the United States'
continued support for the safety and welfare of Tibetan refugees in
Nepal, and said she would carry their message back to Washington," said
Todd Stein, director of government relations at the International
Campaign for Tibet (ICT). "Her visit signals that concerns for Tibetans,
both the refugees and vulnerable long-staying population, remains a key
interest in US relations with Nepal."
The ICT, a US-based Tibet lobby group, also said the act was an
"indication of the United States' commitment to a negotiated resolution
on Tibet that preserves the distinct religious, cultural and linguistic
heritage of the Tibetan people".
Nepal has launched many crackdowns on Tibetan exiles. About 20,000
Tibetan refugees live in Nepal, according to government statistics, but
thousands more live as illegal migrants. Nepal repeatedly vows not to
allow anti-China activities on its soil, and strictly observes a "one
China policy" that holds that Tibet is part of China.
The Chinese pressure has been such that Nepal has refused to recognize
refugees who arrived after 1989, significantly limiting their social,
economic, political and civil rights. It is also known that Tibetan
refugees are also not allowed to register marriages and the birth of
children. Recent US Embassy cables released by WikiLeaks have also
revealed Nepal's stringent policies treating Tibetans who fled from
Tibet to Nepal.
China pays Nepalese police to arrest Tibetan refugees as they cross over
the border to escape persecution. However, the Chinese government
contends that Tibetans arriving in Nepal are illegal migrants and has
sought their repatriation. Presently, the Chinese influence is so strong
that Nepal, which was once supportive of the Tibetans, is now turning
away Tibetan refugees and handing the newly arrived refugees over to the
Chinese.
"The link between China's aggression against Tibetans and Nepalese
police actions has contributed to an environment of fear and insecurity
in Nepal's Tibetan communities," the ICT said.
As China frowns on any country hosting and supporting Tibetan exiles in
any capacity, especially the iconic monk the Dalai Lama, the recent
support shown by the United States in visiting Tibetans in Nepal would
upset Beijing, which is witnessing warming Sino-US relations.
During Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington in January,
where he was hosted with a state dinner, the two sides agreed to build a
cooperative partnership based on mutual respect. Most importantly, they
discussed issues related to human rights.
Obama said during a joint news conference, "As I've said before and I
repeated to President Hu, we have some core views as Americans about the
universality of certain rights - freedom of speech, freedom of religion,
freedom of assembly - that we think are very important and that
transcend cultures."
Interestingly, Hu admitted that on human rights "a lot still needs to be
done" and that Beijing was willing to have dialogue as long as it was
based on mutual respect and non-interference in China's internal
affairs. The US, he said, must recognize that Taiwan and Tibet are
"issues that concern China's territorial integrity and China's core
interests".
Experts believe Hu's visit has advanced Sino-US relations, with each
side better understanding the other. "Hu's visit was very important for
both sides to have realistic, pragmatic, stable expectations of the
other and to understand not only what are the problems in the
relationship, but also to understand how those problems look from the
other side," Kenneth Lieberthal, the director of the John L Thornton
China Center at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said.
"We have too many overlapping interests and goals that are of
significance bilaterally, regionally and globally. The visit made
progress on those issues and those issues are ones that always need
constant work," he added.
Regarding Tibet, Nepal finds itself in a bind, pressured both by the
world's two largest economies. The latest US gesture was Otero's pledge
to provide US$850,000 in assistance to the Nepal police to improve its
security capability.
"The US government has a robust partnership with the Nepal police
because we understand that improving law and order in Nepal and
protecting Nepalis' security are essential tasks for a country coming
out of the insecurity of a long conflict," Otero said.
Nepal now is in a difficult position. On the one hand, it is under
enormous pressure from China, its neighboring giant, to block Tibetan
refuges and to bar anti-China activities by Tibetan refugees. On the
other hand, it faces growing pressures from the West to protect the
human rights of refugees.
Tsering Namgyal, one of those refugees, has closely watched Nepalese
government policies. He says his family is still in a refugee center in
Nepal, where it is not safe. "It will be too early to say that US
government pressure will have any affect on the Nepalese government, as
China may get tougher."
Saransh Sehgal is a contributor based in Dharamsala, India, who can be
reached at in...@mcllo.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. China at War with Biggest Enemy, the Free Press
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 08 March 2011 18:12 Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post
International
Dharamshala: China is in the midst of a frustrated censorship race as
security and police forces muscle in and regime frontmen scurry to come
up with new regulations to counter the foreign press.
Tibet is one place where restrictions on foreign media were recently put
into overdrive, and the region is now virtually closed to foreign
visitors. In justifying the tighter controls, authorities in China have
cited 'safety concerns' such as overcrowding and cold weather, despite
the fact that Tibet is a 'minority' region of China with a low
population compared to major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, which
experience a constant crush due to overpopulation, and the fact that
Beijing is an average of 10íC cooler than Lhasa, or up to 20íC with the
wind-chill.
Foreign media have been informed that they will now have to seek special
advance permission to film or operate in public areas or risk having
their visa revoked, in an apparently nervous attempt by the government
to roll back press freedoms awarded in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing
Olympics. At the time, Beijing faced strong opposition in its bid for
the games due to concerns over human rights abuses and lack of media
freedom, only managing to secure support by making shallow promises of
reform which it clearly never intended to keep.
In the past two weeks, attempts by anonymous organisers to stage
nationwide protests have not yielded the anticipated results, as the
government's well-oiled censorship machine has launched a vicious
offensive against the free-flow of information within its borders,
blocking 'sensitive' websites and deleting 'politically inappropriate
content' almost instantly. Foreign news from the BBC and other sources
is frequently blacked out and 'technical disruptions' help filter
content for television and radio audiences.
The call to protest has been renewed and Chinese citizens are being
urged to gather in 41 cities across the country on Sunday to demand
their rights and greater freedoms, as the government announces an ever
more invasive strategy which includes tracking all residents through
their mobile phones and increasing surveillance of the population.
The credibility of the threat the protesters pose however is hindered by
the isolation of individuals and prevention of communication to bring
people together. The recent calls for demonstration, which urged people
to 'stroll by' protest sites, were quashed by an unprecedented show of
force in the major cities of Shanghai and Beijing, with several
bystanders arrested for unknown reasons and news crews from the BBC and
CNN detained at local police stations for attempting to photograph the
stifling security presence. One reporter suffered a broken rib, and
another sustained a hand injury after receiving kicks and punches to the
head and body.
Calls on the internet for the public 'Jasmine Revolution' have sparked a
violent crackdown by government forces, fearful of a Middle-east
inspired uprising that would topple their one-party dictatorship in the
name of democracy. The communist regime's information war on its own
people, who remain virtually blindfolded and in a dark oblivion to the
outside world, is now showing signs of falling apart as the spread of
news through the internet threatens the credibility of government
propaganda.
According to the 2008 regulations governing foreign media ╨ which
formalised the temporary freedoms granted to foreign reporters during
the Beijing Olympics ╨ foreign correspondents are allowed to interview
any consenting individual without official permission. The regulations
do not apply in Tibet, where Chinese authorities continue to ban
independent reporting. ??The new restrictions put places like Beijing's
People's Square and Wangfujing street on par with Tibet as out-of-bounds
areas where foreign reporters need special permission to work, and come
after journalists were attacked and harassed in the same areas over the
weekend.
Propaganda in China is led by the government agency 'Xinhua', which sets
the pace for all other news outlets and journalists to follow. Those who
do not are quickly silenced and face termination and even imprisonment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Flaming Lips, Michael Stipe, The Roots and Patti Smith Rock for Tibet
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stipe performs new track off 'Collapse Into Now'; Smith references
Wisconsin protests in her performance
By Patrick Doyle
Rolling Stones
MARCH 4, 2011 5:40 PM ET
When the Flaming Lips took the stage toward the end of the annual Tibet
House benefit show at Carnegie Hall last night, there were none of the
mirror balls or laser beams that typically end a Lips show – but the
band had a different surprise in store. After a stunning take on rarely
played Soft Bulletin track "Feeling You Disintegrate," frontman Wayne
Coyne invited composer Philip Glass to the stage's grand piano. "We've
been rehearsing with him all day," Coyne said. "And he's pretty fucking
cool."
The band kicked into a slow, hushed version of their classic "Do You
Realize?", Coyne strumming his acoustic guitar, the body of which was
connected to a green bubble. Late in the song, Glass took over with a
spiraling piano line that vaguely hinted at the Lips' melody while
guitarist Steven Drozd slowly added chilling touches of reverb. Coyne
looked visibly moved and stopped playing entirely, closed his eyes and
raised his fist, grinning.
"Playing with him is how playing with Syd Barrett must have been," Coyne
said after the performance, "Changing something just as you're catching
on. And that's exactly what you want."
This year marked the 61st anniversary of the 1950 Chinese invasion of
Tibet, and the benefit – which also featured Patti Smith, Michael Stipe,
Taj Mahal and the Roots – is in its 21st year. The show kicked off with
several Tibetan monks in robes chanting in front of a large painting of
the region's sprawling Potala Palace. The Roots were the first
performers to bring the entire audience to their feet when they were
joined by Angelique Kidjo for a rousing "Move on Up." Their peak was
their take on Neil Young's "Down by the River," a reprise from their
Carnegie appearance last month at a Young tribute show. Guitarist
Captain Kirk Douglas took center stage, wailing on his Gibson SG and
throwing in riffs of "Hey Joe" under Young's lyrics.
R.E.M. aren't touring off Collapse into Now (out March 8th), but Michael
Stipe looked thrilled to be onstage. He debuted two never-performed
R.E.M. songs: "Saturn Return," off 2008's Reveal, which he performed
standing behind the piano, and gorgeous new Collapsetrack "Everyday is
Yours to Win." He told the crowd he had only played the song in bassist
Mike Mills' living room in L.A. two weeks earlier, but it sounded like
an R.E.M. classic.
Last year, Iggy Pop made a scene stage diving into the relatively stiff
Carnegie crowd as Smith watched from the side of the stage. This year,
she gave the most aggressive performance, beginning with the
Youngbloods' "Get Together," which sounded like more of a plea than
ever, and then kicked into an apocalyptic take on Buddy Holly's "Not
Fade Away." Her band grooved on the raucous Bo Diddley beat while Smith
gave an impassioned speech that proved she's been glued to the news lately.
"In Cairo and Wisconsin…. the people are taking to the streets, taking
the power!" she yelled. She also cited recent mysterious incidents –
thousands of blackbirds falling from the sky and dead fish washing up in
Arkansas – saying, "Mother Nature is calling with such anguish. We must
find a way to show love, because if you don't show love for Mother
Nature, she will fucking take you down!"
At the after party at New York's Gotham Hall, Coyne clutched he scarves
he wore during his performance. He was still beaming from playing with
Glass. "There's a vulnerability to the song, and I think he knew that,"
Coyne said. "That vulnerability makes all the difference. That makes it
believable and makes it seem like anything can happen."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
12. CORRECTION: Media Release from the Office of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[26 February 2011]
We are surprised to note reports in sections of the media, especially in
the Indian Express (Chandigarh), Friday 25 February, of His Holiness the
Dalai Lama and the US Ambassador having discussed recent events around
the Karmapa during their meeting on 24 February. The Indian Express
said: “Sources said the Karmapa issue did figure in the Dalai Lama’s
meeting with the US Ambassador .... “
We would like to make it clear that this report is entirely speculative
and baseless. Neither side raised the issue at all.
At this time such reports are not helpful.
Chhime R. Chhoekyapa
Secretary
Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Dharamsala,
February 26, 2011
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